Hwang was born in Yeonhui-dong, Seodaemun District, Seoul, South Korea on October 31, 1988.
[13][14] She made her acting debut in 2009, in the horror film A Blood Pledge as Park Ji-mi, which was released on June 18, 2009.
In 2010, Hwang made her television series debut in the 2010 MBC TV Golden Fish, playing the role of Yoon Myeong-ji, a housekeeper.
Her popularity rose after her lead role in The King of Jokgu, where she was nominated for the Best New Actress at the 2nd Wildflower Film Awards.
[17] It was announced that Hwang would be cast in the OCN drama Bad Guys[18] and MBC Every 1's Sweden Laundry.
[20] Hwang was cast as the lead in the JTBC drama Madame Antoine: The Love Therapist along with actor Han Ye-seul and Sung Joon which was delayed to January 22, 2016, after the originally planned November 27, 2015.
[25][26][27] She then starred as the female lead in the YG produced web series, Love for a Thousand More aired on December 5, 2016.
She made a cameo in Touch Your Heart and starred in the tvN Drama Stage My Uncle is Audrey Hepburn.